I love books. Reading has always been one of my favorite pastimes. When symptoms of illness caused me to go from reading one book a week to reading two books for the entire year; finding a way to halt the disappearance of my favorite hobby became a major goal for me. With a bit of research I found the way to welcome reading back into my life.

The first time I saw an advertisement for a free trial of an audio book service I was skeptical. Would I be able to understand what was going on in the story if I wasn’t holding and reading a physical book for myself? I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t fall asleep, was able to follow what was going on in the book, and I could stop, slow down, or speed up the reading at any time.

For someone who is extremely busy (you can listen to a book while commuting), likes to multi- task or finds it difficult to see; making use of an audio book service may be an excellent option. If you have never been read to before, it might take some time to train your attention span for this activity, but it is definitely worth it.

Difficulty Seeing

Another option for those with difficulty seeing or turning the pages of a traditional book is to invest in an e-reader or the free e-reader applications that are readily available on the internet. These take the text of a book and displays it on the screen of your digital device or computer. At first the thought of being tied to my computer or phone was not at all appealing to me, and I resisted trying e-books until I found that I could make the text as large or as dark as needed.

With the thousands of books now available digitally and for audio, enjoying books can be a part of your life again.

Invest in an affordable e-reader such as Kindle or Nook, or take a moment, and download a free e-book application and some free books. You can also sign up for a digital audio service (you'll need a device, smart phone or your computer to play the files) but audio books are also available on cassettes and CDs.

Oh, and one more option--if you are fortunate enough to have friends and/or family as a part of your life, don’t delay in asking one of those loved ones to read to you.

Open the door to enjoying books again. Last year I was able to get through 32 books, and my goal for this year is to read 35 books. So far I've read 15; I’m well on my way. Those results are worth learning to "read" in a new way!